SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC PRESS

The San Francisco Public Press (sfpublicpress.org) is a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization that produces independent public-interest journalism about under-covered topics, with a focus on under-served audiences. Online and on community radio station KSFP 102.5 FM, we offer local investigative and solutions reporting. Coverage areas include environmental protection, housing affordability, public health, transportation safety, homeless services, digital privacy, immigration and elections. For every local election, we produce a comprehensive, multimedia nonpartisan voter guide. (San Francisco did not hold any elections in 2023; we returned to this work in 2024.) In 2023, "Civic," our local public policy interview podcast and radio show, produced two seasons, with in-depth reporting and highly produced episodes. For "Civic," investigative reporter Sylvie Sturm and producer Liana Wilcox produced a six-part series on San Francisco's overdose crisis: Part I (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/san-franciscos-fatal-overdose-crisis-was-decades-in-the-making/), Part 2 (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/sf-failing-on-housing-as-overdose-solution-health-expert-says/), Part 3 (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/drug-crackdown-has-sparked-violent-turf-warfare-in-central-san-francisco-supervisor-says/), Part 4 (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/das-opposition-to-drug-diversion-programs-undermines-public-safety-say-legal-advocates/), Part 5 (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/city-officials-lack-urgency-to-prevent-overdose-deaths-say-safe-consumption-proponents/) and Part 6 (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/sf-students-sro-residents-train-to-reverse-drug-overdoses/). Wilcox also led production of episodes on a wide range of topics built around reporting by other journalists in our newsroom, some of which are described below. (See: https://www.sfpublicpress.org/civic) Throughout 2023, many of our reporters cover issues related to homelessness and housing insecurity. In January, Madison Alvarado and Yesica Prado interviewed more than two dozen people about the challenges of finding shelter in eight San Francisco neighborhoods over three days during a period marked by severe winter storms when several shelters were close to capacity. (See: https://www.sfpublicpress.org/facing-brutal-storms-homeless-people-encountered-hurdles-to-finding-shelter/) Prado also reported on Berkeley acknowledging that it was aggressive in sweeping homeless encampments and the city's promise to reform its policies (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/berkeley-apologizes-for-aggressive-homeless-encampment-sweeps-promises-reforms/). Mel Baker, our program director for KSFP, reported on ways that San Francisco used events and construction permits to justify encampment removals (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/sf-uses-events-construction-projects-to-clear-streets-ahead-of-pacific-rim-economic-summit-other-gatherings/). Alvardo also reported on San Francisco's plan for building enough housing to meet state requirements (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/plan-for-82000-homes-in-sf-moves-forward-under-pressure-from-state/), and poor conditions in public housing complexes (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/emergency-repairs-in-public-housing-complex-are-behind-schedule-as-owner-advances-redevelopment-plans/) and ongoing code violations for the companies that manage them (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/after-massive-renovations-code-violations-rise-steeply-in-subsidized-housing/). She also reported on how most calls to a hotline from people seeking shelter went unresolved because staff couldn't reach the people seeking help (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/sf-shelter-hotline-staff-could-not-reach-most-people-who-called-for-help/). She also followed development of San Francisco's reparations plan, which included recommendations to make up for harms caused by urban renewal in the 20th century (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/housing-program-to-redress-urban-renewal-could-get-boost-from-sf-reparations-plan/) and other housing policy reforms (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/without-dropping-cash-reparations-idea-sf-investigates-new-housing-reforms/) recommended by a local task force (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/sf-reparations-plan-nears-submission-but-funding-not-yet-secure/) leading up to the submission of its final report (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/new-reparations-ideas-include-senior-housing-legal-assistance-and-a-black-card-for-local-discounts/). Sylvie Sturm continued reporting on California's family court system, producing print and audio pieces on a controversial response to child abuse claims through a legal tactic called parental alienation (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/family-courts-rely-on-dubious-theory-to-dismiss-child-abuse-claims/) and forced reunification camps (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/childrens-violent-removal-from-santa-cruz-home-raises-calls-to-end-reunification-camps/). She also produced additional text stories on the overdose crisis to supplement her six-part "Civic" series with reporting on local efforts to introduce safe consumption sites (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/with-overdose-deaths-surging-critics-chide-city-state-for-curbing-safe-consumption-centers/), law enforcement crackdowns on open air drug use and sales (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/military-style-drug-war-in-tenderloin-sparks-fears-that-more-drug-users-could-overdose/), and how 2023 was San Francisco's deadliest year on record for drug overdoses (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/2023-is-san-franciscos-deadliest-year-on-record-for-drug-overdoses/). Freelance reporter Viji Sundaram followed up on her previous reporting on California's family courts and coercive control laws in relation to custody cases (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/state-bill-to-keep-children-safe-in-custody-battles-passes-first-hurdle/) and how a court reporter shortage is limiting access to justice in domestic violence cases (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/californias-court-reporter-shortage-limits-access-to-justice-in-domestic-violence-cases/). Freelance reporter Kristi Coale produced an in-depth, data-driven investigation on how developers building housing on Treasure Island are not accounting for climate science updates showing that sea level rise could threaten the new neighborhood much sooner than anticipated in original designs (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/promising-to-prevent-floods-at-treasure-island-builders-downplay-risk-of-sea-rise/). Freelance reporter Seth Rosenfeld continued to report on the California Public Utilities Commission's regulation of - and failure to track consistent data on - the ride-hailing industry (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/local-planners-say-state-failed-to-track-safety-incidents-on-uber-and-lyft/). Freelance reporter Ambika Kandasamy produced a series about the health risks older adults face related to climate change-driven weather disasters. She examined the physical and mental health effects of these events on older people and explored how such challenges are unfolding in San Francisco's Chinatown. The series included five pieces:1) "Q&A with Dr. Andrew Chang on the physical toll of climate change on older adults" (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/research-on-climate-change-and-health-reveals-risks-for-older-adults-a-qa-with-dr-andrew-chang/) 2) "Q&A with Dr. Robin Cooper on the emotional toll of climate change on older adults" (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/climate-change-can-harm-mental-health-of-older-adults/) 3) Q&A with Eddie Ahn on how Brightline Defense takes on air pollution and environmental justice concerns (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/brightline-defense-takes-on-san-franciscos-air-pollution-and-environmental-justice-concerns-qa-with-executive-director-eddie-ahn/) 4) Long-form story: "Protecting Chinatown's Older Adults From Climate Change Disasters Requires More Funding, Nonprofits Say"( https://www.sfpublicpress.org/protecting-chinatowns-older-adults-from-climate-disasters/) 5) Photo essay: "For Chinatown's Older Residents in Single-Room Occupancy Buildings, Climate Disasters Pose Greater Risks" (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/for-chinatowns-older-residents-in-sros-climate-disasters-pose-greater-risks/). The project was produced with the support of a journalism fellowship from the Gerontological Society of America, the Journalists Network on Generations and the Archstone Foundation. For additional reporting by the San Francisco Public Press, please visit our website at sfpublicpress.org.